Red Sox acquire Eduardo Nunez from Giants

While playing in Seattle, the Red Sox dealt for infielder Eduardo Nuñez from the San Francisco Giants. Boston gave up right-handed pitchers Shaun Anderson and Gregory Santos in the deal.

By Tim Britton @TimBritton

On the night Rafael Devers made his debut at third base for the Red Sox, Boston pulled the trigger on a trade to bolster the position. While playing in Seattle, the Red Sox dealt for infielder Eduardo Nuñez from the San Francisco Giants. Boston gave up right-handed pitchers Shaun Anderson and Gregory Santos in the deal. Nuñez, an All-Star last year, is capable of playing virtually anywhere on the field. He's played third, shortstop and both outfield corners for the Giants this year, with a plurality of starts at the hot corner over the last two seasons. That versatility, however, is dulled by the fact that Nuñez has graded out as a below-average defender anywhere he's played. Nuñez is a free-swinging, high-contact batter with little power. He's hit consistently for high average over the last three seasons, with a .307 mark this year to go along with a .331 on-base percentage and four home runs in more than 300 plate appearances. Outside of the career-high 16 homers he hit last season, he's never collected more than five long balls in a year. He has been markedly better on the road this season, sporting a .790 OPS compared to the .695 OPS he has in spacious AT&T Park. Nuñez's strikeout rate of 9.1 percent is second-lowest among qualified hitters in Major League Baseball, behind only Mookie Betts' 9.0 percent. Dustin Pedroia is third in baseball at 9.8 percent. "He's a very good offensive player," president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters in Seattle Tuesday night. "He's been swinging the bat very well. He can run. He gives us another bat that we feel can help give us some offense, which we do need at this time." Nuñez does also bring some speed, as he's 18-for-23 in stolen-base attempts this season. A year ago, he stole 40 bags in 50 tries. Only Mookie Betts has more than 10 steals for the Red Sox this season. Whether the righty-hitting Nuñez is being counted on to replace Devers or merely complement him is, of course, unclear. He could be the everyday third baseman with Devers sent back to Triple-A for more seasoning — which Dombrowski alluded to as "ideal" even as he was promoting Devers — or he could be the short side of a platoon at the position, replacing the role currently owned by Deven Marrero. In case of the latter scenario, it's worth noting that whatever negligible platoon splits Nuñez has shown over the course of his career have favored facing right-handed pitchers. "We'll kind of wait and handle that question," Dombrowski said Tuesday night. "I think he'll play a lot for us. With the versatility he has, he can play a lot of different spots." Nuñez is eligible for free agency at the end of this season, making this a two-month rental. He's owed about $1.5 million of his $4.2 million salary over the remainder of the season, which still leaves Boston with room to work under the luxury tax. It's the second straight July the 30-year-old has been traded, as he moved to the Giants from Minnesota last year before the deadline. Anderson was a 2016 third-round pick out of the University of Florida who has put together a nice first full season in pro ball across Single-A Greenville and High-A Salem. The 22-year-old had posted a 3.88 ERA over 18 starts, with about eight strikeouts per nine innings. Santos is just 17 years old, pitching in the Dominican Summer League for the Sox. In seven starts there, he had compiled a sparkling 0.90 ERA. With five more days to go before the trade deadline, the Red Sox aren't necessarily done. Boston is still seeking potential help in the bullpen. While the lineuo's July struggles have only deepened as the month has gone on, Dombrowski suggested the team would have to locate some power from its existing lineup, however. "Some of the times, guys have to do it themselves from within," he said. "The only way you do that is if you start replacing players in your lineup, and I'm not sure who you would really replace in that perspective." -Tim Britton writes for the Providence Journal of GateHouse Media.

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